In Jiujiu’s world, just eating, napping, and doing a whole lot of nothing made him perfectly happy.
And if two grown-ups came to play with him, and there were a few of his favorite dishes, then that would be the best day ever.
“All done!” Jiujiu clapped his tiny hands in delight. “What a cute bunny! I wanna give it a name… um… let’s call it…”
“Alice?” Fu Yue suggested. “It’s holding a pocket watch and wearing a lace dress.”
“Okayyy… then the bunny’s name is Alice!” chirped the little boy, all dazed but grinning.
The newly finished puzzle was finally in the box. Jiujiu got so excited that he hugged the box and bounced up and down a few times. Crash! The pieces were scattered everywhere again.
He stared at the Peter Rabbit now lying in pieces, tears welling up in his eyes. Plopping down onto the carpet, he wiped at his cheeks and wailed, “Waaah… my bunny’s gone… waaah…”
For five whole minutes, Gu Panqiu had witnessed his little boy’s emotions surge and plunge like waves. The sight made his heart ache, yet the corners of his mouth could not help lifting. He gathered Jiujiu close, his palm gently patting the child’s quivering back. “Hush now, Jiujiu. No more tears. The puzzle can always be pieced together again.”
Without a word, Fu Yue bent down and gathered the scattered puzzle pieces. He glanced at Jiujiu, whose cheeks were streaked with tears. “Come here, Jiujiu,” he beckoned softly, patting the floor beside him. “Let’s put the bunny together. I bet we’ll be even faster this time.”
Jiujiu sniffled hard, and just like that, his crying stopped. Wobbling toward Fu Yue, he blinked back his tears and set to work on the puzzle beside him.
Fu Yue was far more patient than Gu Panqiu had imagined. He handed Jiujiu the scattered puzzle pieces but did not rush to put them back together himself.
Instead, he allowed Jiujiu plenty of time to think and sat quietly beside him, watching as he deliberated over each piece. When Jiujiu managed to fit a piece in place, Fu Yue would offer a gentle word of praise. Only when Jiujiu seemed truly stuck would he lend a helping hand.
“Wow, it’s done!” Jiujiu stared at the completed puzzle, chest swelling with pride. “Bunny’s back!”
Fu Yue hummed softly as he taped the puzzle into the box. “Off you go.”
Hugging the puzzle with glee, Jiujiu ran back to the bedroom and exclaimed, “Alice’s home!”
Seeing Jiujiu so happy, Gu Panqiu felt joy bloom inside him.
He looked at Fu Yue, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “CEO Fu, why are you so nice to my son?”
Without even a flicker of emotion, Fu Yue answered, “Your son’s a friend of my brother. It’s only natural that I look after Jiujiu.”
Gu Panqiu nodded slowly, though he was not entirely convinced. “Oh, so you really go that far for your friends’ friends, huh?”
After spending some quality time with Jiujiu in the bedroom, Gu Panqiu came out to find the house steeped in the mouthwatering aroma of food.
Fu Yue’s mother was a master of authentic Hangzhou cuisine and had passed her craft down to him. Over time, cooking became Fu Yue’s quiet refuge—a way to untangle his thoughts and let the day’s worries dissolve with the rising steam. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Oh wow! Look at all this delicious food!” Gu Panqiu exclaimed as he stepped out with Jiujiu in tow. The sight of the lavish spread made Jiujiu gasp in delight. “Wow!” he squealed, darting around Fu Yue in a circle.
Then he flitted around like a little bird circling a larger one. Fu Yue scooped him up and said, “Be good. Go sit by your dad, and watch your head.”
Jiujiu hugged Fu Yue’s leg, grinning ear to ear. “You’re so amazing, Uncle!”
Fu Yue gently pinched Jiujiu’s soft, chubby cheek. The little boy let out a happy hum, leaning against Fu Yue’s leg. “I like you, Uncle.”
The spread before him was a feast for the eyes, and each bite was pure delight. Even Gu Panqiu, who usually shied away from meat, found himself captivated by the tender, melt-in-your-mouth braised ribs.
“CEO Fu, you’re quite the chef!” Gu Panqiu’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t had such authentic Hangzhou cuisine in ages.”
Fu Yue gave a slight nod. “Thank you.”
Despite having a net worth in the billions, Fu Yue was low-key and reserved by nature, but the oppressive weight of the authority he had long held was not to be trifled with.
Whenever he fell silent, his face practically screamed, “Keep away.” On top of that, he never initiated conversation, nor did he reply easily, so the ordinary folks amongst the guests did not dare to approach him.
Shen Yao noticed the dinner table had gone unnervingly quiet. Clearing his throat, he took the first step to break the silence.
“You know,” he began, a casual smile forming on his lips, “I’ve known CEO Fu since we were kids, though we just haven’t hung out in ages.”
Shen Yao had always watched Fu Yue grow up like an older brother, though they had never been particularly close. They went to different schools, and it was not until recent years, through work, that their paths crossed again.
Fu Yue nodded thoughtfully. “Teacher Shen is a few years older than me. We lived close by when I was little, but then he went to study in Australia. So I’ve not seen him for years after that.”
“Yeah, I was just terrible at school when I was young,” Shen Yao admitted. “By fifth grade, I couldn’t pass math to save my life. My mom figured if I stayed in City B, I’d never get into high school, so she sent me abroad to study music. Anyway… want to grab a drink? Alcohol always makes conversation easier.”
Fu Yue got to his feet. “I’ll go get it.”
He turned and fetched a bottle of red wine from the cabinet, while Shen Yao turned to the people at the table. “Fu Yue was an exceptional student. He started school at five and was the brightest kid in our neighborhood—a legend, really. He was also admitted through special recommendation at every stage…”
Yang Chen froze. “Wait, what? CEO Fu was offered a place in a university without taking the entrance exams too?”
Shen Yao chuckled, “He was only sixteen when he got into Tsinghua! He even did an exchange abroad while studying, and by graduation, he’d earned an insanely prestigious scholarship that I can’t even recall the name.” Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
Upon hearing that, Yang Chen gazed at Fu Yue’s back with stars in his eyes. “CEO Fu is incredible.”
Gu Panqiu, too, gave a thoughtful nod. No wonder Fu Yue is the untouchable white moonlight in The King of Showbiz.
Lu Yao declared with unabashed pride, “Well, of course! Brother Yue wouldn’t be my boss if he didn’t have what it takes. My boss is the best!”
From the sidelines, Shen Yao finally noticed something he had not before. He had long since heard that Lu Yao might be chasing after Fu Yue, but he had never seen it for himself.
Now that he had, there was no doubt that this rumor was real.
Just then, Fu Yue returned carrying a bottle of red wine. He uncorked it with practiced ease, every movement as meticulous as ever.
Gu Panqiu took the bottle from Fu Yue. Their fingers lightly brushed, and he looked down with a soft smile. “I’ll pour for everyone!”
Fu Yue did not refuse, though his eyes lingered on where they had touched. Then, he lifted the half-full glass Gu Panqiu had poured, took a sip, and met his gaze. “Thank you.”
“Oh, right, Lu Yao, your juniors are performing next week. Aren’t you, as their senior, going to show up?”
Lu Yao was carefully moving a rib into Fu Yue’s bowl when Shen Yao suddenly called his name. Startled, he blinked and looked up. “Huh?”
The rib slipped from his chopsticks and landed on the table with a soft plop.
Fu Yue stared at it for a moment, then acted as if he had not seen a thing.
Meanwhile, Gu Panqiu watched the group with a spark of interest in his eyes. By the time he had poured a round of drinks and settled back into his seat, Lu Yao finally snapped out of it.
The debut album of the new boy group, Win, under Nova Entertainment was produced by Shen Yao. However, Lu Yao could not stand Shen Yao’s style. Every song felt disjointed, a chaotic jumble that left him wondering where to even start listening. The lengthy rap sections only added to his frustration. Even worse, online reviews hailed their collaboration as a match made in heaven.
Match made in heaven, my foot! Only an all-rounder ace like me can make songs like that work. If this new group debuts with Shen Yao’s tracks, they’re doomed from the start.
The corners of Lu Yao’s lips quirked up. “Of course, I went to watch their performance… it’s just—”
Under Fu Yue’s piercing gaze, he begrudgingly muttered, “…It looked very difficult.”
Fu Yue had nothing left to say to Lu Yao; he was racking his brain over how to drag him back to his group and off this show. Then, under the table, something lightly grazed his calf.